Air conditioner

ABSTRACT

An air conditioner is disclosed. The present invention includes a cabinet wherein an indoor air is sucked into the cabinet in a lateral direction and wherein an air-conditioned air is blown from the cabinet in a front direction, an indoor blower provided within the cabinet, the indoor blower sucking the indoor air to blow in the front direction, and at least one indoor heat exchanger provided next to the indoor blower within the cabinet to exchange heat with a flowing air. Accordingly, the present invention enhances air-conditioning performance.

This application claims the benefit of the Korean Patent ApplicationNos. P2004-43634, filed on Jun. 14, 2004, P2004-43635, filed on Jun. 14,2004, P2004-43638, filed on Jun. 14, 2004, P2004-44109, filed on Jun.15, 2004, P2004-44110, filed on Jun. 15, 2004 and P2004-65508, filed onAug. 19, 2004, which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fullyset forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an air conditioner. Although thepresent invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it isparticularly suitable for smoothing a flow of air that is sucked orblown.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Generally, an air conditioner, which includes a compressor and a heatexchanger to make a refrigerant flow therein, cools down or heats anindoor space such as a living room, a restaurant, a library, an officeand the like. And, the air conditioner can be categorized into aseparate type and a combined type.

The separate type air conditioner consists of an indoor unit having aheat exchanger for cooling or heating an indoor space, an outdoor unithaving a built-in heat exchanger for heat exchange with an outdoor air,and a refrigerant pipe connecting the indoor unit to the outdoor unit.

The indoor and outdoor units of the separate type air conditioner areseparately installed at indoor and outdoor spaces, respectively.

Meanwhile, the combined type air conditioner, which includes indoor andoutdoor units built in one body together, is directly installed on ahole of a house wall or is hung on a window.

An air conditioner according to a related art is explained withreference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as follows.

The air conditioner according to the related art shown in FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 is the combined type air conditioner having an indoor unit for aheat exchange with an indoor air and an outdoor unit for a heat exchangewith an outdoor air, in which the indoor and outdoor units are built inone body.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air conditioner consists of a basepanel 2 forming an exterior, a frame 4 provided over the base panel 2,an air guide 6 partitioning the base panel 2 and the frame 4 into anindoor part I and an outdoor part, a front panel 9 provided to a frontside of the cabinet 4 toward an indoor space to configure a front partof the combined type air conditioner, and a compressor 12 changing alow-temperature low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperaturehigh-pressure refrigerant.

In the outdoor part, a condenser 14 radiating heat to air flowing withinthe outdoor part and an expansion valve (not shown in the drawing)expanding the refrigerant condensed by the condenser 14 are received.

To the indoor part I provided is an evaporator 16 evaporating therefrigerant expanded in the expansion valve. In doing so, therefrigerant absorbs heat of the air flowing within the indoor part toevaporate into a gaseous phase.

Meanwhile, outdoor intake ports 5 are formed at lateral and upper sidesof the outdoor part to suck the outdoor air. A backside of the outdoorpart is open to blow the air to the outdoor space.

An indoor air intake port 10 is provided to a lower part of a front sideof the front panel 9. And, an indoor air blowing port 11 is provided toan upper part of the front panel 9 to blow the air into the indoorspace.

The air guide 6 consists of a vertical guide 7 provided vertical to atopside of the base panel 2 and a horizontal guide 8 horizontallyprovided over the vertical guide 32 to guide the air forcibly moved by aturbo fan 24 to the indoor air blowing port 11.

A bi-shaft motor 22 is provided to the air guide 6 of the combined typeair conditioner. In this case, front and rear shafts 20 a and 20 b areprojected from the bi-shaft motor 22 toward the indoor and outdoorparts, respectively.

The turbo fan 24 is connected to the front shaft 20 a to forciblycirculate the indoor air to the evaporator 16. And, an orificeaccelerating a wind speed is provided to an intake side of the turbo fan24.

A propeller fan 28 is connected to the rear shaft 20 b of the bi-shaftmotor 20 to forcibly move the outdoor air toward the condenser 14. And,a shroud 30 forming an air passage is provided in rear of the propellerfan 26.

An operation of the above-configured related art combined type airconditioner is explained as follows.

First of all, once the combined type air conditioner is actuated, therefrigerant is circulated by the driven compressor 12 via the condenser14, the expansion mechanism (not shown in the drawing) and theevaporator 16. And, the bi-shaft motor 20 rotates the turbo fan 24 andthe propeller fan 28 to suck the indoor air and the outdoor air into theindoor part and the outdoor part, respectively.

In particular, the indoor air in front of the front panel 9 passesthrough the indoor air intake port 10 by the rotation of the turbo fan24 and is then cooled down via the evaporator 16.

A flowing direction of the air cooled down by the evaporator 16 isdiverted along the orifice 26, the vertical guide 7 and the horizontalguide 8 toward the indoor air blowing port 11 provided to the frontpanel 9 and is then blown to a front side of the front panel 9 via theindoor air blowing port 11.

The air in the outdoor space is sucked into the outdoor intake ports 5by the rotation of the propeller fan 28, passes through the shroud 30,passes through the condenser 14 to take heat from the refrigerantflowing within the condenser 14, and is then blown out to the outdoorspace.

However, the related art air conditioner has the following problems ordisadvantages.

First of all, since the indoor air intake port and the indoor airblowing port are provided to the upper and lower parts of the frontpanel, respectively, a considerable quantity of the air blown into theindoor space is re-sucked into the indoor air intake port right afterhaving been blown.

Secondly, since the flowing direction of the air flowing within theindoor part by the turbo fan is abruptly diverted by the horizontalguide, a flowing loss is considerable and a corresponding noise becomesa serious problem.

Thirdly, since the air is blown in the rear direction via the backsideof the outdoor part, airflow resistance is raised to degrade the heatexchange performance of the outdoor part in case of an adverse wind.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an air conditionerthat substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations anddisadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner, bywhich air-conditioning performance is enhanced.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, anair conditioner according to the present invention includes a cabinetwherein an indoor air is sucked into the cabinet in a lateral directionand wherein an air-conditioned air is blown from the cabinet in a frontdirection, an indoor blower provided within the cabinet, the indoorblower sucking the indoor air to blow in the front direction, and atleast one indoor heat exchanger provided next to the indoor blowerwithin the cabinet to exchange heat with a flowing air.

Preferably, the cabinet includes an indoor air intake port provided toat least one of left, right and upper sides of the cabinet to suck theindoor air and an indoor air blowing port provided in front of theindoor blower to enable the air-conditioned air to be blown from thecabinet in the front direction, the indoor air blowing port provided toa front panel configuring a front side of the cabinet.

More preferably, the air conditioner further includes a blowing guideopening/closing the indoor air blowing port to guide the air blown intoan indoor space. More preferably, the at least one indoor heat exchangeris provided between the indoor air intake port and the indoor blower.More preferably, the air conditioner further includes an air guideprovided between the indoor blower and the indoor air blowing port andthe air guide includes an orifice wherein the air blown from the indoorblower passes through the orifice. More preferably, the air guide isbuilt in one body of the cabinet to be provided within the cabinet.

Preferably, the indoor blower includes a hub connected to a rotationalshaft of a blower motor and a plurality of spiral blades provided to anouter circumference of the hub.

Preferably, the air conditioner further includes a barrier providedwithin the cabinet to partition the cabinet into an indoor cabinethaving an indoor air intake port and an indoor air blowing port and anoutdoor cabinet, wherein the indoor blower and the at least one indoorheat exchanger are provided within the indoor cabinet and wherein anoutdoor blower sucking an outdoor air into the outdoor cabinet to blowand at least one outdoor heat exchanger exchanging heat with the flowingoutdoor air are provided within the outdoor cabinet.

More preferably, the outdoor cabinet includes an outdoor air intake portprovided to at least one of left, right and upper sides of the outdoorcabinet to suck the outdoor air, wherein the at least one outdoor heatexchanger is provided between the outdoor air intake port and theoutdoor blower.

More preferably, the outdoor air is sucked in rear of the outdoorcabinet and the air heat-exchanged in the at least one outdoor heatexchanger is blown in a lateral direction of the outdoor cabinet.

More preferably, the outdoor cabinet includes an outdoor blowing portprovided to at least one of left, right and upper sides of the outdoorcabinet, wherein the outdoor blower sucks the air in rear to blow thesucked air in a radial direction.

More preferably, the at least one outdoor heat exchanger is providedbetween the outdoor air blowing port and the outdoor blower.

More preferably, the indoor blower includes an indoor blower fan, theoutdoor blower includes an outdoor blower fan, and both of the indoorand outdoor blower fans are driven by one blower motor.

In another aspect of the present invention, an air conditioner includesan outdoor cabinet wherein an indoor air is sucked into the outdoorcabinet in a rear direction and wherein an air-conditioned air is blownfrom the cabinet in a later direction and an outdoor blower providedwithin the outdoor cabinet to suck an outdoor air to blow in a radialdirection.

Preferably, the outdoor cabinet includes an outdoor air intake portprovided to a rear end side of the outdoor cabinet and an outdoor airblowing port provided to at least one of left, right and upper sides ofthe outdoor cabinet.

In a further aspect of the present invention, an air conditionerincludes a cabinet wherein an indoor air is sucked into the cabinet in alateral direction and wherein an air-conditioned air is blown from thecabinet by a prescribed angle against a front side of the cabinet, anindoor blower provided within the cabinet to forcibly enable an air flowso that the indoor air is sucked into the cabinet to be blown from thecabinet, and at least one indoor heat exchanger provided next to theindoor blower within the cabinet to exchange heat with a flowing air.

Preferably, the cabinet includes an indoor air intake port provided toat least one of left, right and upper sides of the cabinet to suck theindoor air, an indoor air blowing port provided to the at least one ofthe left, right and upper sides of the cabinet, and a blowing guideguiding the air blown into an indoor space via the indoor air blowingport toward a circumference of a front side of the cabinet.

More preferably, the indoor air blowing port is opened/closed by theblowing guide.

More preferably, the blowing guide is rotatably connected to a rim ofthe indoor air blowing port.

Preferably, the cabinet includes an indoor cabinet within which theindoor blower and the at least one indoor heat exchanger are providedand an outdoor cabinet within which an outdoor heat exchanger for a heatexchange with an outdoor air and an outdoor blower for a forcible airflow are provided.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present invention areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram of a combined type air conditioneraccording to a related art;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of a combined type air conditioneraccording to a related art;

FIG. 3 is a perspective diagram of an air conditioner according to afirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective diagram of the air conditioner shownin FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional diagram of the air conditionershown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional diagram of the air conditionershown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective diagram of an air conditioner according to asecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective diagram of the air conditioner shownin FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional diagram of the air conditionershown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective diagram of an air conditioneraccording to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective diagram of an air conditioneraccording to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a horizontal cross-sectional diagram of the air conditionershown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective diagram of an air conditioner according to afifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective diagram of the air conditioner shownin FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective diagram of an air conditioneraccording to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a horizontal cross-sectional diagram of the air conditionershown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional diagram of the air conditionershown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a perspective diagram of an air conditioner according to aseventh embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective diagram of the air conditioner shownin FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a horizontal cross-sectional diagram of the air conditionershown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a vertical cross-sectional diagram of the air conditionershown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 22 is a perspective diagram of an air conditioner according to aneighth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a perspective diagram of an air conditioner according to aninth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 22 is a perspective diagram of an air conditioner according to atenth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, an air conditioner according to a firstembodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet enclosing variouscomponent parts for cooling/heating of an indoor space.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet preferablyincludes an indoor cabinet for a heat exchange with an indoor air and anoutdoor cabinet for a heat exchange with an outdoor air.

In this case, the indoor air A is sucked via lateral sides of the indoorcabinet and the air-conditioned air within the cabinet is blown in afront direction of the cabinet.

And, the outdoor air B is sucked via lateral sides of the outdoorcabinet, exchanges heat, and is then blown in a rear direction.

Preferably, the cabinet has a fully open backside or has a substantiallyrectangular box shape having an opening at its backside. Yet, thecabinet can be variously configured.

For instance, the cabinet of the air condition according to the firstembodiment of the present invention includes a base panel 52 forming abottom of the cabinet, an indoor frame 55 having an indoor air intakeport via which the indoor air is sucked, and an outdoor frame 64provided over a rear part of the base panel 52.

For example, the base panel 52, the indoor frame 55 and the outdoorframe 64 can be built in one body. Preferably, the base panel 52, theindoor frame 55 and the outdoor frame 64 are individually provided to beassembled in one body together for the sake of repair or cleaning ofinternal parts.

The indoor air intake port is provided to the cabinet, and moreparticularly, to at least on of right, left and upper sides of theindoor frame 55 to allow the indoor air to be sucked in lateraldirections of the indoor frame 55.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, at least one or moreindoor air intake ports 53 and 54 are provided to the right and leftsides of the indoor frame 55.

For reference, the indoor air intake port provided to the right side ofthe indoor frame 55 is called a right indoor air intake port 53 and theindoor air intake port provided to the left side of the indoor frame 55is called a left indoor air intake port 54.

An indoor blower 72 is provided within the cabinet, and moreparticularly, within the indoor cabinet. And, an air guide 57 isprovided in front of the indoor blower 72.

Moreover, an orifice 56 is provided to the air guide 57 to allow theair, which is blown in a front direction by the indoor blower 72, topass through. In this case, the air guide 57 is preferably built in onebody of the cabinet, and more particularly, in one body of the indoorframe 55.

The cabinet further includes a front panel 53 configuring a front sideof the cabinet. And, a blowing grill 59 a having a plurality ofventilating openings is loaded on an indoor air blowing port 58.

In this case, the front panel 59 is provided in front of the indoorblower 72. Since the indoor air blowing port 58 is formed at the frontpanel 53, the air-conditioned air is blown in the front direction of thecabinet by the indoor blower 72.

Hence, the air guide 57 is provided between the indoor blower 72 and theindoor air blowing port 58 of the front panel 59.

Meanwhile, a barrier 60 is provided within the cabinet. And, the cabinetis partitioned into the indoor cabinet and the outdoor cabinet by thebarrier 60.

In the present embodiment, to allow the indoor cabinet to include theindoor frame 55 and to allow the outdoor cabinet to include the outdoorframe 64, it is preferable that the barrier 60 is provided to a rear endof the indoor frame 55 to partition the internal space of the cabinet.

Accordingly, the internal space of the cabinet is partitioned into anindoor side space I in which heat exchange with the indoor air isperformed and an outdoor space O in which heat exchange with the outdoorair is performed.

Meanwhile, an outdoor air intake port is provided to at least one ofleft, right and upper sides of the outdoor cabinet to suck the outdoorair.

In the present embodiment, the outdoor air intake ports 61, 62 and 63are provided to the left, right and upper sides of the outdoor frame 64,respectively and the air is blown out via a backside of the outdoorframe 64.

The outdoor air intake port provided to the right side of the outdoorframe 64 is named a right outdoor air intake port 61, the outdoor airintake port provided to the left side of the outdoor frame 64 is named aleft outdoor air intake port 62, and the outdoor air intake portprovided to the upper side of the outdoor frame 64 is named an upperoutdoor air intake port 61.

Hence, the outdoor air is sucked via the three sides of the outdoorframe 64 and the air is blown in a rear direction via the backside ofthe outdoor frame 64.

Meanwhile, the indoor blower 72 is provided within the indoor cabinetforming the indoor side space and an outdoor blower 76 is providedwithin the outdoor cabinet forming the outdoor side space.

To drive the indoor blower 72, a blower motor 70 is provided within thecabinet.

The indoor blower 72 includes an indoor blower fan that is connected tothe blower motor 70.

The outdoor blower 76 includes an outdoor blower fan.

In the present embodiment, the blower motor 70 is configured to driveboth of the indoor blower 72 and the outdoor blower 76 simultaneously.

For this, the blower motor 70 is provided to the barrier 60. Preferably,the lower motor 70 is a bi-shaft motor including a first rotationalshaft 67 projected in a front direction toward the front panel 59 and asecond rotational shaft 68 projected in a rear direction toward thebackside of the outdoor frame.

The indoor blower fan having a front-to-rear shaft direction isconnected to the first rotational shaft 67 of the bi-shaft motor to blowthe air forward.

In particular, as the indoor blower fan rotates, the indoor air issucked via the left and right indoor air intake ports 53 and 54 of theindoor frame 55 so that the indoor blower fan blows the air in the frontdirection toward the indoor air blowing port 58.

In this case, the indoor blower fan includes a hub 73 connected to thefirst rotational shaft 67 of the bi-shaft motor and a plurality ofspiral blades 74 provided to an outer circumference of the hub 73. Theabove-configured blower fan is so-called an X-fan.

The outdoor blower fan having a front-to-rear shaft direction isconnected to the second rotational shaft 68 of the bi-shaft motor toblow the air backward.

In particular, the outdoor blower fan sucks the air via the outdoor airintake ports 60, 61 and 62 to blow in the rear direction.

In this case, the outdoor blower fan preferably includes an X-fan havinga hub 77 connected to the second rotational shaft 68 of the bi-shaftmotor and a plurality of spiral blades 78 provided to an outercircumference of the hub 77. Yet, the blower fan is not limited to theX-fan but can include different fans.

Meanwhile, at least one indoor heat exchanger 80 is provided within theindoor frame 55, and more particularly, next to the indoor blower 72 tocool down or heat the indoor air.

In this case, the at least one indoor heat exchanger 80 is providedbetween the indoor blower 72 and the indoor air intake port to minimizea front-to-rear length of the cabinet.

In the present embodiment, a right indoor heat exchanger 81 is providedbetween the right indoor air intake port 53 and the indoor blower 72 anda left indoor heat exchanger 83 is provided between the left indoor airintake port 54 and the indoor blower 72. Namely, the right indoor heatexchanger 81 is provided next to the right indoor air intake port 53 andthe left indoor heat exchanger 83 is provided next to the left indoorair intake port 54.

Hence, the air sucked via the right indoor air intake port 53 makes aheat exchange with the refrigerant flowing within the right indoor heatexchanger 81 and the air sucked via the left indoor air intake port 54makes a heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing within the rightindoor heat exchanger 83.

Refrigerant inlet pipes 81 a and 83 a are connected to refrigerant inletsides of the right and left indoor heat exchangers 81 and 83 inparallel, respectively. And, refrigerant outlet pipes 81 b and 83 b areconnected to refrigerant outlet sides of the right and left indoor heatexchangers 81 and 83 in parallel, respectively.

Alternatively, the right indoor heat exchanger 81 and the left indoorheat exchanger 83 can be arranged parallel to either the eight or leftside of the indoor frame 55. Alternatively, the right indoor heatexchanger 81 and the left indoor heat exchanger 83 can be arranged tohave prescribed angles from the right and left sides of the indoor frame55, respectively.

In case that the right indoor heat exchanger 81 and the left indoor heatexchanger 83 are arranged to have the prescribed angles from the rightand left sides of the indoor frame 55, respectively, heat transfer areascan be increased.

And, the right indoor heat exchanger 81 and the left indoor heatexchanger 83 vertically meet the air, which is sucked in lateraldirections of the indoor cabinet to flow forward. Accordingly, in caseof employing a general heat exchanger structure, passage resistance isminimized and heat transfer efficiency is enhanced.

Meanwhile, a shroud 86 is provided within the outdoor frame 64 to form apassage of the outdoor air moved by the outdoor blower 76.

An orifice is formed in the shroud 86 to be provided to an outercircumference o the outdoor blower 76.

At least one outdoor heat exchanger 90, in which a refrigerantexchanging heat with the air blown backward by the outdoor blower 76flows, is provided in rear of the shroud 86.

And, the outdoor heat exchanger 90 is arranged long in right-to-leftdirection in a backside of the outdoor frame 64.

A reference number ‘94’ indicates a compressor loaded on the base panel52 to be located in the outdoor side space O. The compressor 94 ispreferably installed in the vicinity of one of the outdoor air intakeports.

A reference number ‘96’ indicates a capillary tube connecting theoutdoor heat exchanger 90 and the indoor heat exchanger 80 together toexpand the refrigerant.

An operation of the above-configured air conditioner according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention is explained as follows.

First of all, once the air conditioner is actuated, the refrigerant iscirculated by the driven compressor 94 and the indoor air and theoutdoor air are sucked into the indoor cabinet and the outdoor cabinetby the driven blower motor 70, respectively.

Once the blower motor 70 is driven, the indoor blower 72 is rotated tosuck the indoor air via the right and left indoor air intake ports 53and 54 of the indoor frame 55.

The air sucked via the right and left indoor air intake ports 53 and 54passes through the right and left indoor heat exchangers 81 and 83 to becooled down or heated and is then blown forward by the indoor blower 72.

The air blown by the indoor blower 72 passes through the orifice 56 andthe indoor air blowing port 58 of the front panel 59 in turn and is thenblown to a front side of the cabinet to cool down or heat the indoorspace.

Meanwhile, once the outdoor blower 76 is rotated by the driven blowermotor 70, the outdoor air B is sucked in three directions via theoutdoor air intake ports 61, 62 and 63 of the outdoor frame.

The air sucked into the outdoor cabinet via the outdoor air intake ports61, 62 and 63 is blown backward by the outdoor blower 76.

The outdoor air blown by the outdoor blower 76 exchanges heat with theoutdoor heat exchanger 90 to be heated or cooled down and is then blownbackward via the backside of the outdoor frame 64.

An air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention is explained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 as follows.

First of all, an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of thepresent invention includes the same elements of the air conditioneraccording the first embodiment of the present invention. The airconditioner according to the second embodiment of the present inventionfurther includes an indoor air intake port 56 provided to the upper sideof the indoor frame 55 of the first embodiment of the present invention.And, the operational principle of the first embodiment of the presentinvention is like that of the second embodiment of the presentinvention, of which explanation is skipped. And, the same referencenumbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same orlike parts.

An air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention is explained with reference to FIG. 10 as follows.

In explaining an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention, the elements and its operationalprinciple are like those of the first embodiment of the presentinvention except at least one outdoor heat exchanger provided within theoutdoor cabinet. And, the same reference numbers will be used throughoutthe drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Moreover, additionalexplanation will be skipped.

An air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention includes at least one outdoor heat exchanger 90 a providedbetween the outdoor blower 76 and at least one of the outdoor air intakeports 61, 62 and 63.

In particular, the at least one outdoor heat exchanger 90 a includes aright outdoor heat exchanger 91 provided between the right outdoor airintake port 61 and the outdoor blower 76 and an upper outdoor heatexchanger 92 provided between the upper outdoor air intake port 62 andthe outdoor blower 76.

Optionally, the right outdoor heat exchanger 91 and the upper outdoorheat exchanger 92 can be built in one body.

And, the compressor 94 is provided next to an inside of the left outdoorair intake port 63.

An air conditioner according to a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention is explained with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 as follows.

An air conditioner according to a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention differs form that of the third embodiment of the presentinvention in the configuration of an outdoor heat exchanger. The restconfigurations and operational principle of the fourth embodiment areequal to those of the third embodiment. And, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.Moreover, repetitive explanation will be skipped.

At least one outdoor heat exchanger 90 b provided to the air conditioneraccording to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes theat least one outdoor heat exchanger 90 a of the third embodiment of thepresent invention and a left outdoor heat exchanger 93 provided betweenthe left outdoor air intake port 63 and the outdoor blower 76.

An air conditioner according to a fifth embodiment of the presentinvention is explained with reference to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 as follows.

Referring to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, an air conditioner according to afifth embodiment of the present invention sucks an outdoor air B from arear side and then blows the air heat-exchanged in an outdoor heatexchanger in a lateral direction of the outdoor cabinet.

In particular, the outdoor air is sucked via the backside of the outdoorframe. And, the air heat-exchanged in an outdoor heat exchanger is blownvia at least one side of the outdoor frame, and more preferably, viaright, left and upper sides of the outdoor frame.

For this, the air conditioner according to the fifth embodiment of thepresent invention includes an outdoor frame 64 a having an outdoor airintake port formed at its backside and at least one or more outdoor airblowing ports 61 a, 62 a and 63 a formed at its left, right and uppersides, respectively.

In other words, since the outdoor air intake ports of the aforesaidembodiments play roles as the outdoor air blowing ports according to thechange of the air flow directions in the fifth embodiment of the presentinvention, the heat exchanger of the third embodiment becomes providedbetween the outdoor blower 76 a and the outdoor air blowing ports 61 a,62 a and 63 a.

Optionally, instead of the X-fan, an outdoor blower 76 a, which sucksair in an axial direction to blow in a radial direction, can be providedwithin the outdoor cabinet, and more particularly, within the outdoorframe 64 a.

In this case, the outdoor blower 76 a can include a centrifugal fan or acentrifugal turbo fan.

Except the outdoor frame 64 a and the outdoor blower 76 a, the restconfigurations and operational principle of the fifth embodiment areequal to those of the third embodiment. And, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.Moreover, additional explanation will be skipped.

An air conditioner according to a sixth embodiment of the presentinvention is explained with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17 as follows.

An air conditioner according to a sixth embodiment of the presentinvention differs form that of the fifth embodiment of the presentinvention in the configuration of an outdoor heat exchanger. The restconfigurations and operational principle of the sixth embodiment areequal to those of the fifth embodiment. And, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.Moreover, repetitive explanation will be skipped.

Yet, at least one outdoor heat exchanger 90 b provided to the airconditioner according to the sixth embodiment of the present inventionare like the at least one outdoor heat exchanger of the fourthembodiment of the present invention, of which additional explanationwill be skipped.

Air conditioners according to seventh to ninth embodiments of thepresent invention are explained with reference to FIGS. 18 to 23 asfollows.

Each air conditioner according to seventh to ninth embodiments of thepresent invention includes a cabinet. An indoor air A is sucked in alateral direction of the cabinet and an air-conditioned air is blownfrom the cabinet by a prescribed angle against a front side of thecabinet.

The cabinet includes an indoor frame 55 having an indoor air intake portprovided to at least one of its left, right and upper sides.

At least one indoor air blowing port 58 a is provided to at least one ofthe left, right and upper sides of the indoor frame 55.

Hence, except the indoor air blowing port 58 of the air conditioneraccording to the first and/or second embodiment of the presentinvention, the rest elements or parts are like those of the first and/orsecond embodiment of the present invention.

In the air conditioners according to the seventh and ninth embodimentsof the present invention, a right indoor air intake port 53, a leftindoor air intake port 54 and an upper indoor air intake port 56 areformed at the right, left and upper sides of the indoor frame 55,respectively.

Yet, in the air conditioner according to the eighth embodiment of thepresent invention, a right indoor air intake port 53 and a left indoorair intake port 54 are formed at the right and left sides of the indoorframe 55, respectively.

Each of the air conditioners according to the seventh and eighthembodiment of the present invention includes an indoor air blowing port58 a provided long to a front part of the upper side of the indoor frame55 in right-to-left direction.

In other words, the indoor air blowing port 58 a of the air conditioneraccording to the seventh embodiment of the present invention is formedin front of the upper indoor air intake port 56.

In addition to the above-configurations, the cabinet, and moreparticularly, the indoor frame 55 of each of the air conditionersaccording to the seventh and eighth embodiments of the present inventionfurther includes a blowing guide 60 provided to the indoor air blowingport 58 a to guide air blown into the indoor space to a frontcircumference of the cabinet.

Yet, the air conditioner according to the ninth embodiment of thepresent invention includes an indoor air blowing port 58 b provided infront of the indoor air intake port 53.

And, the cabinet, and more particularly, the indoor frame 55 of the airconditioner according to the ninth embodiment of the present inventionfurther includes a blowing guide 600 provided to the indoor air blowingport 58 b to guide air blown into the indoor space to a frontcircumference of the cabinet.

In this case, the blowing guides 60 and 600 open/close the indoor airblowing ports 58 a and 58 b, respectively. In particular, the blowingguide 60 or 600 opens the indoor air blowing port 58 a or 58 b while theair conditioner is actuated. And, the blowing guide 60 or 600 closes theindoor air blowing port 58 a or 58 b to prevent particles from beingintroduced while the air conditioner stops.

For this, it is preferable that the blowing guide 60 or 600 is rotatablyconnected to a rim of the indoor air blowing port 58 a or 58 b.

In particular, both sides of a rear end of the blowing guide 60 or 600is rotatably connected to rear ends of both sides of the rim of theindoor air blowing port 58 a or 58 b, respectively. And, one side of theblowing guide 60 or 600 is connected to a prescribed motor 60 a.

Optionally, each of the blowing guides 60 and 600 is configured toenable an auto-swing within a prescribed angle range.

The rest configurations and operational principles of the seventh toninth embodiments are equal to those of the first and/or secondembodiment. And, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts. Moreover, repetitiveexplanation will be skipped.

An air conditioner according to a tenth embodiment of the presentinvention is explained with reference to FIG. 24 as follows.

Referring to FIG. 24, an air conditioner according to a tenth embodimentof the present invention includes an indoor air blowing port 58 cprovided to the front panel and a blowing guide 600 a guiding an airblown into the indoor space via the indoor air blowing port 58 c.

Hence, the air conditioner according to the tenth embodiment of thepresent invention differs form that of the seventh embodiment of thepresent invention in the positions of the indoor air blowing port andthe blowing guide. The rest configurations and operational principle ofthe tenth embodiment are equal to those of the seventh embodiment. And,the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to referto the same or like parts. Moreover, repetitive explanation will beskipped.

Accordingly, the present invention provides the following effects oradvantages.

First of all, since the air blown from the cabinet is not affected bythe indoor air sucked into the cabinet, the air conditioner according tothe present invention prevents the cooled or heated air from beingre-sucked into the cabinet right after having been blown from thecabinet and enhances the indoor air conditioning performance.

Secondly, since the air flow path and resistance are minimized, the airconditioner according to the present invention reduces the load andpower consumption of the blower and minimizes the air flow noise.

Thirdly, since the indoor heat exchanger is provided between the barrierand the air guide with a prescribed size and shape, the air conditioneraccording to the present invention raises the heat transfer efficiencyand minimizes the volume of the cabinet.

Fifthly, since the indoor air intake area is increased, the airconditioner according to the present invention lowers the air flowresistance.

Finally, since the outdoor air sucked via the rear side of the cabinetis blown in the side direction, the air conditioner according to thepresent invention enables a smooth air flow in case of the adverse windand prevents the overload and power consumption increment of the outdoorblower.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, itis intended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

1. An air conditioner comprising: a cabinet wherein an indoor air issucked into the cabinet in a lateral direction and wherein anair-conditioned air is blown from the cabinet in a front direction; anindoor blower provided within the cabinet, the indoor blower sucking theindoor air to blow in the front direction; and at least one indoor heatexchanger provided next to the indoor blower within the cabinet toexchange heat with a flowing air.
 2. The air conditioner of claim 1, thecabinet comprising: an indoor air intake port provided to at least oneof left, right and upper sides of the cabinet to suck the indoor air;and an indoor air blowing port provided in front of the indoor blower toenable the air-conditioned air to be blown from the cabinet in the frontdirection, the indoor air blowing port provided to a front panelconfiguring a front side of the cabinet.
 3. The air conditioner of claim2, further comprising a blowing guide opening/closing the indoor airblowing port to guide the air blown into an indoor space.
 4. The airconditioner of claim 2, wherein the at least one indoor heat exchangeris provided between the indoor air intake port and the indoor blower. 5.The air conditioner of claim 2, further comprising an air guide providedbetween the indoor blower and the indoor air blowing port, the air guidecomprising an orifice wherein the air blown from the indoor blowerpasses through the orifice.
 6. The air conditioner of claim 5, whereinthe air guide is built in one body of the cabinet to be provided withinthe cabinet.
 7. The air conditioner of claim 1, the indoor blowercomprising: a hub connected to a rotational shaft of a blower motor; anda plurality of spiral blades provided to an outer circumference of thehub.
 8. The air conditioner of claim 1, further comprising a barrierprovided within the cabinet to partition the cabinet into an indoorcabinet having an indoor air intake port and an indoor air blowing portand an outdoor cabinet, wherein the indoor blower and the at least oneindoor heat exchanger are provided within the indoor cabinet and whereinan outdoor blower sucking an outdoor air into the outdoor cabinet toblow and at least one outdoor heat exchanger exchanging heat with theflowing outdoor air are provided within the outdoor cabinet.
 9. The airconditioner of claim 8, the outdoor cabinet comprising an outdoor airintake port provided to at least one of left, right and upper sides ofthe outdoor cabinet to suck the outdoor air, wherein the at least oneoutdoor heat exchanger is provided between the outdoor air intake portand the outdoor blower.
 10. The air conditioner of claim 8, wherein theoutdoor air is sucked in rear of the outdoor cabinet and wherein the airheat-exchanged in the at least one outdoor heat exchanger is blown in alateral direction of the outdoor cabinet.
 11. The air conditioner ofclaim 10, the outdoor cabinet comprising an outdoor blowing portprovided to at least one of left, right and upper sides of the outdoorcabinet, wherein the outdoor blower sucks the air in rear to blow thesucked air in a radial direction.
 12. The air conditioner of claim 11,wherein the at least one outdoor heat exchanger is provided between theoutdoor air blowing port and the outdoor blower.
 13. The air conditionerof claim 8, wherein the indoor blower includes an indoor blower fan,wherein the outdoor blower includes an outdoor blower fan, and whereinboth of the indoor and outdoor blower fans are driven by one blowermotor.
 14. An air conditioner comprising: an outdoor cabinet wherein anindoor air is sucked into the outdoor cabinet in a rear direction andwherein an air-conditioned air is blown from the cabinet in a laterdirection; and an outdoor blower provided within the outdoor cabinet tosuck an outdoor air to blow in a radial direction.
 15. The airconditioner of claim 14, the outdoor cabinet comprising: an outdoor airintake port provided to a rear end side of the outdoor cabinet; and anoutdoor air blowing port provided to at least one of left, right andupper sides of the outdoor cabinet.
 16. An air conditioner comprising: acabinet wherein an indoor air is sucked into the cabinet in a lateraldirection and wherein an air-conditioned air is blown from the cabinetby a prescribed angle against a front side of the cabinet; an indoorblower provided within the cabinet to forcibly enable an air flow sothat the indoor air is sucked into the cabinet to be blown from thecabinet; and at least one indoor heat exchanger provided next to theindoor blower within the cabinet to exchange heat with a flowing air.17. The air conditioner of claim 16, the cabinet comprising: an indoorair intake port provided to at least one of left, right and upper sidesof the cabinet to suck the indoor air; an indoor air blowing portprovided to the at least one of the left, right and upper sides of thecabinet; and a blowing guide guiding the air blown into an indoor spacevia the indoor air blowing port toward a circumference of a front sideof the cabinet.
 18. The air conditioner of claim 17, wherein the indoorair blowing port is opened/closed by the blowing guide.
 19. The airconditioner of claim 17, wherein the blowing guide is rotatablyconnected to a rim of the indoor air blowing port.
 20. The airconditioner of claim 16, the cabinet comprising: an indoor cabinetwithin which the indoor blower and the at least one indoor heatexchanger are provided; and an outdoor cabinet within which an outdoorheat exchanger for a heat exchange with an outdoor air and an outdoorblower for a forcible air flow are provided.